


Seize The Day

by ASchwartz33



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Canon-Typical Violence, Dorks in Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Good Uchiha Itachi, Good Uchiha Obito, Good things happen, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Kakashi saves the future, M/M, Mokuton, No Smut, Obito has feelings, Plans just happen to work out, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Shimura Danzou Being an Asshole, Shisui is adorable, Tenzo is a sweetheart, Tenzou sucks at seals, Time Travel Fix-It, Uchiha Obito Lives, Uchiha Shisui Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASchwartz33/pseuds/ASchwartz33
Summary: Kakashi accidentally gets sent back in time. Will he stay and help save people from his past? Or will he find a way to return to where he belongs?Written for Naruto Rarepair Week 2020! Day 7: Free Day!
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Obito/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 33
Kudos: 326





	1. Chapter 1

Kakashi swallowed nervously, stepping out of his bedroom and heading towards his kitchen. He looked to his kohai, who didn't seem quite as confident as he had before. When he reluctantly agreed to help Tenzo test the new seals he had been working on… this isn't what he had in mind. Was it his fault that Tenzo didn't  _ actually  _ tell him what he was working on? 

Truth is, he had a hard time saying  _ no  _ to Tenzo. His poor kohai had been through  _ hell  _ during the fourth shinobi war, courtesy of Kakashi's old teammate. Tenzo didn't blame him… but that didn't stop the current Hokage from feeling terrible about it all. 

"Are you sure about this, Tenzo?" Kakashi asked nervously, stepping towards the giant seal Tenzo had drawn out on his floor. 

Tenzo nodded slowly. "Yeah. It should send you back two days. Three at the max." 

Kakashi looked towards Tenzo nervously. He wasn't even sure how far back in time this was going to send him? He took a deep breath. He needed to  _ calm down.  _ Chances are, what Tenzo was trying to do was impossible anyway, and he would just be standing there like a dumbass in his kitchen. 

His kohai would try it himself…  _ if _ he could use his chakra correctly. Half the time, his mokuton went haywire, and seal work required precision. Since the war, Tenzo's chakra was too unpredictable. So Kakashi walked to the center of the circle, taking another deep breath and deciding to just get this over with. He bit his thumb, forming the signs Tenzo had mapped out, and slammed his hand down dead center. 

~

Kakashi woke up in his bed, breathing heavily and sweating. "Fuck." He breathed out, feeling all over himself for injuries. "It actually worked." 

There was a problem. A  _ big  _ problem. Kakashi opened his eyes again, feeling the familiar drain of the sharingan in his left eye. He shut it quickly.  _ How far back had Tenzo sent him? _ He shouldn't even  _ have  _ the sharingan anymore.

"Tenzo!" He shouted angrily, fisting his sheets and forcing himself onto unsteady legs. The room spun a bit as he gathered himself, but that didn't bother him quite as much as the answer to his shouting did. 

"Senpai?" A voice rang out from his front room. Kakashi froze. Tenzo hadn't stayed at his place since before he left Anbu. 

"Senpai? Are you okay?" Tenzo called again, moving closer. Kakashi's heart dropped when his kohai finally came into view. Tenzo was  _ young _ . Probably 16 at the most. That meant… 

_ Shit.  _ Kakashi ran to the bathroom, looking in the mirror to see his teenage self staring back at him. " _ Fuck _ ." Kakashi mumbled under his breath, as Tenzo watched him in confusion. He appeared to have just cut his hair down, which meant he was  _ definitely  _ 16\. That put Kakashi around 19. 

"What's wrong?" Tenzo asked quietly. 

"You sent me too far back!" Kakashi cried out, covering his face with his hands. 

"What?" Tenzo asked incredulously. 

"You…" Kakashi said, turning towards the younger boy. "You sent me  _ back in time _ ! You  _ said  _ it would only be a  _ couple days _ , Tenzo! This is… this is  _ years!  _ Like  _ fifteen  _ years! What the hell am I going to do?!" 

Tenzo just stared owlishly as Kakashi yelled at him, venting his frustrations on the kid who  _ clearly  _ didn't know what the hell he was talking about. 

Kakashi took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay. This is fine. I can figure this out. I just need someone good with seal work. Minato and Kushina are already gone. That just leaves… the Uchiha?" Kakashi ranted, before jumping excitedly. "Tenzo! How many Uchiha are left?" 

Tenzo stammered. "Total? I-I don't know, Senpai. I could ask Itachi probably if you really-"

"Itachi! Itachi is still on our team?" Kakashi interrupted, watching as Tenzo nodded. 

Suddenly, Kakashi frowned. He thought for a moment. If Itachi was still on their team… there were a few things he could change. 

"Senpai… what is going on? Are you drunk?" Tenzo asked. 

Kakashi shook his head slowly, meeting Tenzo's gaze seriously. "No. I… I don't really know how to make you understand. I've come here from the  _ future.  _ You accidentally sent me back in time messing around with seals."

Tenzo frowned. "I… sent you back…  _ in time? _ " 

"Yes." Kakashi answered. "I was 35, you were 32. It was after the fourth shinobi war. I was the Hokage, and you were my personal guard." 

Tenzo just stared at him blankly. 

Kakashi searched his memories, trying to find something.  _ Anything  _ Tenzo had told him during their late night talks that he hadn't told him yet. He smiled. "You cut your hair because you got it caught in the ceiling fan in your apartment."

Tenzo blushed immediately, sputtering incoherently. 

"And… when you're alone in the forest, you like to imagine the trees having conversations with each other." Kakashi added with a sly grin. 

Tenzo went silent, thinking carefully. 

Kakashi was patient. He waited for his kohai to admit he wasn't crazy. 

"There's no way you could have known that. I've never told anyone that." Tenzo mumbled. 

"So you believe me?" Kakashi asked hopefully, watching him with one eye. He did  _ not  _ miss having to keep his left eye closed all of the time. 

Tenzo nodded his head reluctantly. "I guess I have no choice." 

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We need to find Itachi immediately." 

~

Wandering into the Uchiha district was strange. All of these people… were supposed to be  _ dead.  _ Thankfully, it wasn't difficult to locate Itachi. They walked up to him casually as he walked through the market. 

"Captain. I don't see you here very often." Itachi commented, spinning to greet them. He nodded to Tenzo, who barely managed a nervous nod back. "What brings you to the Uchiha district?" He asked. 

Kakashi looked around, wondering how he was even going to bring all of this up. How far along were the plans for the coup at this point? Kakashi wasn't even sure how to tell. 

After a moment of thought, he finally came up with an idea. "Is…  _ Shisui _ around?" Kakashi asked nervously, hoping the teen wasn't already dead. 

"Depends on who's asking." An enthusiastic voice rang out behind him. Kakashi turned, seeing a young uchiha that he vaguely recognized as Shisui. 

_ "I am." _ Kakashi said seriously. "I need to speak with you.  _ Both  _ of you. Alone." 

Itachi nodded, looking towards his cousin, who smiled brightly at them. 

"Hold on." Shisui said with a wink, before teleporting all four of them away. 

They landed seamlessly, and Kakashi tried not to admire the guy too much. They landed at the Naka River, right on the cliff that Kakashi believed Shisui had jumped from. He swallowed nervously, feeling the blood rush from his face. 

"Everything alright, Captain?" Itachi asked calmly. Kakashi turned, seeing three sets of eyes watching him. He nodded slowly, trying to think about how to start this conversation. 

"Uh… I need to know what's happening with the coup." Kakashi said lamely, not knowing another way to start. 

"What?" Itachi said quietly. 

Shisui narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them carefully. "Why do you know about it?" 

Kakashi sighed. "It's… difficult to explain. Just… has Danzo asked you to meet with him yet?" He asked, looking directly at Shisui. 

The older Uchiha stared him down, clearly debating what he wanted to say. Eventually, he nodded, crossing his arms. "Tonight." 

Kakashi's eyes widened.  _ "Seriously?"  _ He looked down, and rubbed the bridge of his nose again. "Cutting it kind of close." He mumbled. 

"Why?" Shisui asked pointedly. 

Kakashi sighed, frowning. "He's going to try to betray you. He wants to take your eyes and have Kotoamatsukami for himself." 

Shisui's eyes narrowed further. "And just  _ how  _ do you know that?" 

Itachi didn't say anything, just watched Kakashi with calculating eyes. Tenzo sat silent. Kakashi had explained  _ basically  _ what was going on, but most of this was news to him too. 

"The same way I know that you are being asked to spy on Itachi, and that Itachi is being asked to spy on both the village  _ and  _ the clan. I… I came here from the future. I  _ know _ it sounds stupid. But Tenzo accidentally sent me  _ way  _ too far back in time when he was messing with seals." Kakashi explained, trying to get the point across. 

Shisui huffed a laugh. Smiling at them like they were nuts. "Oh? And what is my future like?" 

Kakashi sighed. " _ You _ don't have one. Danzo takes one of your eyes tonight, and you give the other to Itachi… right before throwing yourself off this cliff." 

Shisui's smile didn't fade, but he tilted his head. "What do you think, cousin?" 

Itachi hummed. "I think he's standing different than he usually does. I also think he is speaking differently. But I'm not convinced." 

Shisui hummed in agreement. "Me either. Not quite."

Finally, an idea popped into Kakashi's head again. He turned to Itachi. "When was the last time you saw  _ Madara?" _

Itachi stiffened, but didn't answer. Shisui frowned. Apparently, his cousin hadn't told him that little detail. 

"You are the only person in this village who has seen him. You  _ know  _ that. But I know something too. I know he's not  _ really  _ Madara." Kakashi reasoned with him. 

"If he's not Madara, who is it?" Itachi asked, curiosity peaked. 

"Obito Uchiha." Kakashi said with conviction. "And I'm going to need your help to stop  _ him  _ too."

"Well." Shisui said suddenly, drawing their attention back to him. He grinned at Kakashi. "Looks like I'm going to miss my meeting tonight." 

~

Kakashi waited in the trees with Tenzo and Shisui, sitting silently in the upper branches while Itachi waited. Here, right outside of the Uchiha district walls, was where Obito had been coming into the village. 

Shisui shifted uncomfortably. "You know, it's a little weird knowing that I should be off getting my eyeball ripped out." He whispered, glancing over to Kakashi. 

From here, the Anbu captain could feel the body heat radiating from the man. How could anybody be  _ so  _ warm? He shifted a little closer, under the guise of trying to whisper quieter, but really trying to catch some of his warmth. "Well… I'm not going to let that happen." Kakashi replied, barely making an audible sound. 

"So… if I die… does that mean the coup happens?" Shisui asked worriedly. 

Kakashi simply shook his head, trying to convey that it wasn't a happy ending with his expression. Shisui took the hint, and looked forward with a frown. 

After another few minutes of waiting, the familiar swirl of Kamui formed, and Obito popped out right next to Itachi. His mask was different, but Kakashi could tell it was still him. 

"Itachi." He spoke deeply. "I was not expecting to see you here." Obito's voice wasn't quite as scratchy as Kakashi remembered, and he had to remind himself that Obito was still a teenager too. 

"I need to speak with you. It's urgent." Itachi said calmly, and Shisui took the cue. He body-flickered to Obito's position, taking Kakashi along with him. They left Tenzo in the trees for backup. 

Obito seemed taken aback by their sudden appearance, and made a move to leave.

"Obito! Wait!" Kakashi shouted, hoping the identity reveal would be enough to make him stay. Shockingly, it worked. Obito was  _ so  _ surprised that he canceled his jutsu. "That is not my name." He said, anger already in his tone. 

"Yes it is." Kakashi said strongly, standing up straight. "I know Madara has you going around, doing his bidding. I know  _ all _ about the plan with the tailed beasts, and all the horrible things he has had you do. I… I know about Minato-sensei." 

Even with the mask, Kakashi knew the other boy was scowling. "You know  _ nothing _ ." He growled. 

"I do. I know  _ all  _ about  _ Project Tsuki no Me _ . I can show you, if you let me." Kakashi tried to reason. Obito paused, and Kakashi knew he had said the right things. 

"And how would you show me?" Obito asked curiously, still on guard, but clearly confused. 

"Put me under genjutsu. I can show you my memories." Kakashi answered quickly, begging his old friend. 

Obito chuckled. "As you wish." 

Immediately, Kakashi was swept away, inside his mind. 

"Show me." Obito's voice rang out, and Kakashi obliged. He didn't waste time. He pulled up  _ everything.  _ Every encounter with the Akatsuki, every mention of Madara, the Uchiha massacre, Tobi, the fourth shinobi war, his eye getting ripped out, the rinnegan, their fight in Kamui, Madara betraying Obito, Zetsu betraying them both for Kaguya, them teaming up to try to beat her, and Obito sacrificing himself once again… giving Kakashi both sharingan and appearing in his mind. The final thing he showed him was Tenzo accidentally sending him back in time. 

Kakashi was flung from the genjutsu violently, losing his balance and landing on his ass. Shisui was there, kneeling down to make sure he was alright. 

Everyone was silent. Kakashi hoped that was enough to change Obito's mind. It  _ had  _ to be. It was  _ all he had _ . 

"O-Obito." He spoke softly, his voice a little shaky from the mental strain of the genjutsu. "Come back to Konoha. It's not too late. Not yet. You can  _ help _ us." 

Obito reached up slowly, peeling the mask from his face. He was scarred just like Kakashi remembered, but much younger, and without an eye in his left socket. 

Kakashi waited, until finally, Obito sighed. "Well then… where do we start?" 

Kakashi couldn't help the smile on his face. Obito rolled his eye, but Kakashi could see the edges of his mouth turning upwards a tiny bit. "Well… these two have a clan meeting to go to." Kakashi replied, looking to Shisui and Itachi, who nodded happily. He turned back to the trees, signaling once. Tenzo flashed down to the ground, and Obito only raised an eyebrow. "Tenzo and I are going to go back with  _ you _ . Tenzo's going to burn down the God tree while we deal with Zetsu and Madara." 

Obito crossed his arms. "And how do you intend to do that?" 

Kakashi rubbed his hand behind his neck. "I don't really know. Can't we just send half of Zetsu into Kamui until we can figure it out?" 

Shisui huffed a laugh next him, and Kakashi turned just to be ambushed by the other man. Shisui hugged him tightly. Even as old as he had been, he still wasn't used to hugs. He froze for a moment, before patting Shisui awkwardly on the shoulder. 

"Go on and save the world." Shisui said with a wink. "We're going to head out." 

Kakashi caught his arm before they could leave, panic suddenly gripping him. "Stay together. We'll deal with Danzo when we get back." 

Shisui grinned slyly at him, and nodded. He pulled Kakashi's face in and placed a dramatically sloppy kiss on his forehead. They were gone before the blush could reach over Kakashi's mask. 

Obito laughed abruptly, his voice echoing through the trees. Even Tenzo looked a step away from laughing at him. "Shut up." Kakashi mumbled. "Let's get going."

~

Tenzo was  _ not _ a fan of Kamui, and promptly threw up when they landed inside the cave. Kakashi understood. The whole process felt kind of like you were flipping inside out. It was  _ much  _ different than a transportation jutsu or teleportation. 

"Are you okay, Tenzo?" Kakashi asked quietly, patting the younger boy's back. Tenzo nodded, gathering himself and straightening out. Obito just looked amused by this whole ordeal in general. 

"Shall we?" He spoke calmly. "Zetsu isn't here right now. Let's deal with Madara and the tree quickly." 

Kakashi and Tenzo nodded, following Obito through the maze of caverns. Madara was already dead, his body waiting patiently for Obito to reawaken him with the rinnegan. Instead, they sealed his corpse with the Totsuka blade, which they had retrieved from Itachi. (Who frankly, was  _ shocked  _ that anyone knew he possessed it. Kakashi would explain  _ that one _ later.) 

Since the sealing took a matter of seconds, Obito and Kakashi assisted in the burning of the tree. Ideally, Kakashi would have hoped to have Amaterasu, but Itachi hadn't awakened his Mangekyou yet. 

Sure enough, Zetsu showed up halfway through burning the god tree to the ground. Needless to say, he was shocked. Kakashi and Obito worked together, sending the black half of Zetsu into Kamui. For now, they had to hope it was good enough, because Kakashi had no answers for that one. 

Once that was done, the white half of Zetsu apparently liked Obito enough to simply leave. 

Kakashi stood there, in the middle of a cave with a burning God tree, in complete shock. His plan  _ actually worked.  _ That just…  _ didn't happen _ without complications.  _ Ever.  _ Tenzo seemed just as apprehensive, but Obito simply laughed, slapping Kakashi hard on the back. "Stop being nervous  _ Baka _ shi. It's hard to mess up the plan when you have  _ literally _ seen the future."

Kakashi let out a nervous breath, looking towards Tenzo, who just shrugged. 

"Everything  _ appears  _ to have worked fine, Senpai." Tenzo spoke quietly. 

Obito raised an eyebrow, watching the younger man. "I wasn't sure if he could  _ actually  _ talk." 

Tenzo frowned at the older man, but turned back to his Captain. "We should head back, Senpai. Danzo doesn't respond well to being ignored. If Shisui was supposed to meet with him earlier… I'm sure he's looking for him."

Kakashi nodded. "I know. Obito? Are you ready to go?" 

Obito shrugged indifferently. "I don't own anything. Let's go." 

The world swirled again and Kakashi's stomach flipped around. This time, Tenzo  _ just barely _ managed to keep from puking. Obito chuckled. "Looking a little pale, Kakashi." 

Kakashi didn't respond, just sat down in the grass. They were back at the Naka river, waiting for Shisui and Itachi to return from the meeting. 

"So…" Obito said suddenly, looking at Tenzo. " _ You're  _ not from the future?" 

Tenzo shook his head. 

Obito breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. That would've been awkward." He mumbled. Tenzo wrinkled his nose at the statement, but left it alone. Obito had seen what he'd done to Tenzo, and Kakashi would never let that happen again. Thankfully, it didn't seem like that was a possibility now, with the God tree burnt to a crisp. Tenzo sat down by him quietly, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. Obito raised an eyebrow at him, but Kakashi knew he was extending his senses and keeping watch. 

"We're being watched." Tenzo spoke suddenly. He looked up to Obito. "You should face the cliff so they can't see your face. They'll think you're just a random Uchiha." 

Obito did as he was told, sitting cross-legged like them with his back to the trees. 

"How many?" Kakashi asked quietly, mindlessly playing with the grass. 

Tenzo closed his eyes again, holding his palm to the ground. "Three. From the foundation." 

"You recognize them?" Kakashi asked in a whisper. 

"Two of them." Tenzo said with a nod. 

"How do you know that?" Obito asked curiously. "Are you a sensory type?" 

Tenzo shook his head. "Not really. The mokuton allows me to extend my senses through the root systems and trees." 

Obito pursed his lips. "Then how do you know they work for Danzo?"

Tenzo shot him a flat look. "Because  _ I _ worked for Danzo. Until about 3 years ago." Kakashi enjoyed the slight attitude Tenzo had when he said it, chuckling as Obito wrinkled his nose. Young Tenzo was  _ almost  _ as much of a smartass as adult Tenzo. 

"Fine then. What's the plan,  _ Captain _ ?" Obito said smartly, grinning playfully at Kakashi. He rolled his eye. "We wait for Shisui and Itachi."

Obito didn't seem to like the idea, but kept it to himself. After a moment of silence, Obito spoke again. "I think my cousin has a crush on you." 

Kakashi feigned ignorance. "You have like  _ eighty _ cousins, Obito." 

Obito narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms in a huff. "You  _ know  _ which one I meant." 

Obito hadn't changed a bit, and Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. 

Tenzo whispered something that sounded suspiciously like "mokuton", keeping his hands pressed to the ground. Obito caught it too, and watched the younger man carefully. 

After a minute of concentration, he smiled. "I've got them. Surprised them through the trees." 

They all stood quickly, walking over to see that Tenzo had them all bound with his wood style, dangling from the trees. 

"Kinoe, let us down immediately." The oldest looking one tried, attempting to sound authoritative even as he was trapped there. Obito guffawed loudly. "As if,  _ buddy _ . You aren't going  _ anywhere _ ." 

"Who even  _ are you?"  _ The one in the middle asked impatiently. 

Obito stood proudly. "Only the best Uchiha there  _ ever was.  _ If you try to make a move against Shisui, I'll kill all of you." 

There was a cold tone to Obito's voice in that moment, one that Kakashi recognized from the fourth shinobi war. He hoped that it was just a defensive mechanism, and that his friend wasn't already too far damaged to function in society. 

The foundation members remained silent, unsurprisingly, since they were trained to never give away their mission. 

"They're under genjutsu. They aren't going anywhere." Obito announced, making his way back to his seat in the grass. 

~

It was another twenty minutes before Shisui and Itachi finally showed, and Kakashi could breathe a small sigh of relief. He knew that together, there was a very small chance of Danzo getting to them… but that didn't stop him from worrying. He knew how this was  _ supposed  _ to end, after all. 

Shisui was standing really close to him, and Kakashi had to force himself not to react to Obito's smirk. The younger boy threw an arm over his shoulder, smiling like a doofus. "So… how'd it go with Madara?" 

Kakashi tried to fight the blush, but he was at least sure his mask covered it. Judging by the look on Obito  _ and  _ Tenzo's faces, it didn't. "Maa, it went fine. Everything's working out so far. How about you? How did the meeting go?"

Itachi answered first, looking just as indifferent as ever. "The meeting went well, and we didn't feel the presence of the foundation."

"That's because they're hanging from the trees back there." Obito said nonchalantly, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"I see." Itachi answered. 

"I got to use my Kotoamatsukami. I think it's working. The meeting was a lot calmer than it has been." Shisui said happily. 

"Don't get too excited." Tenzo spoke up suddenly, still wearing a frown. "We still have Danzo to worry about." 

"But I think we're early enough that it won't be too much of a problem. He doesn't have Shisui's eye, or any from the massacre." Kakashi rambled to himself thoughtlessly. He didn't think about the fact that only Obito had seen the future. He had yet to discuss any of it with the other two Uchiha. 

"Massacre?" Shisui asked quietly. The energy around them had dimmed down to something much more solemn, and Kakashi knew he just needed to get it over with and explain it. The most  _ humane  _ way would be to use his words, but Kakashi knew he would have a hard time saying it out loud, especially to these two. Sasuke had shown it all to him after the war through genjutsu, as Obito and Itachi had shown it to him. 

He pulled up his headband, revealing his other eye. Obito's eye. "Can you show Itachi?" He asked, looking to his old teammate. Obito closed his eye, but nodded. 

Genjutsu wasn't exactly Kakashi's strong point, but he had more than enough skill to show something to someone who wasn't fighting back. Shisui was ready when he turned his head to the side, his sharingan deactivated. 

He showed him everything. There wasn't much point to leaving anything out. Every bit of information about Danzo, the Akatsuki, or the Uchiha could end up being useful in some way, even if it meant showing Itachi killing their entire family. 

Once it was over, Shisui was silent. He removed his arm from Kakashi's shoulders and walked over to his younger cousin. Itachi was strong, but he was still young. At this point in time he was 13. Far too young to commit mass murder and shoulder the entire burden of the Uchiha clan on his shoulders. 

Apparently, watching his cousin's death and the subsequent murder of his clan was enough for Itachi to awaken his mangekyou. When Obito released him from the genjutsu, he collapsed into Shisui, eyes bleeding. 

Obito seemed somewhat surprised. Tenzo moved to help his younger teammate, but Kakashi held up a hand to stop him. Itachi would be okay, in time. Kakashi felt bad for them. It almost felt immoral to show them such things… but in the end it was necessary. 

~

They decided that it wasn't so much of an emergency that they couldn't wait until the morning to deal with Danzo. They had a lot to consider in all of this. Mainly, they had to decide if they were going to involve the Hokage. The future that Kakashi brought with him proved that he was far too lenient when it came to Danzo. They also had to consider the fact that they had  _ undeniable proof  _ of his collaboration with Orochimaru, and his ultimate betrayal to the leaf. Could he still be lenient, knowing that Danzo had a hand in his death? 

They also needed to determine what they would do about the legendary sannin. Clearly, he needed to be dealt with. Itachi would likely insist on it, knowing that the snake master was after his younger brother's body. 

They decided that the safest place to hide was the Hatake compound. It was well known that Kakashi hadn't been there in years, and the wards on the place were fantastic. 

It was strange, having Tenzo and the three Uchihas camping out on his floor. Obito had disappeared into kamui, returning ten minutes later with extra bed rolls. They looked new, and Kakashi decided it was best not to ask. 

He also decided that it was best not to acknowledge how close Shisui was sleeping to him. Technically, Kakashi could have just slept in one of the bedrooms. He figured it was good to stick together. So here he was, listening to Shisui snoring softly next to him. 

~

The next morning, they had to make a decision. Obito had once again warped away, returning quickly with bags of takeout, apparently from Kiri. Kakashi decided right then that it was the most useful jutsu in existence, and he needed to practice using it. 

Kakashi realized that he didn't have much of an appetite, and found himself roaming the old house instead. It wasn't long before Shisui popped up beside him. 

"Hey." He started nervously. "I just wanted to thank you. Without you, our lives would be totally  _ fucked  _ right now." 

Kakashi chuckled. "Glad I could help." 

Shisui smiled, and the silver-haired man couldn't help but smile back. Shisui's attitude was infectious, and the guy practically  _ oozed  _ sunlight. When he looked at the younger Uchiha, he was sometimes reminded of Minato. 

_ Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay in the past. _

Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted when Shisui wrapped him up in a tight hug. He was warm, and cozy, and couldn't help but melt into the embrace. Shisui chuckled, and Kakashi looked up, only to be ambushed by a soft pair of lips. 

_ Shisui was kissing him.  _ Yes, the mask was still in the way, but it was pleasant nonetheless. How long had it been since he was kissed? At least before the fourth ninja war. While he hadn't necessarily  _ missed  _ it, he was happy to be on the receiving end once again. 

The younger man pulled away abruptly, his face flushing a bright red as he watched Kakashi owlishly. Before he even had a chance to respond, Shisui flickered back to the front room with the others. 

Kakashi sighed, reaching up to touch his mask where Shisui's lips had been. Warmth spread through his chest, and he knew it was far too late to turn back now. 


	2. Chapter 2

Obito felt strange without the mask. Not only that, but it felt weird to be  _ here _ , in Kakashi's house once again. 

Now, he was waiting. They had decided to involve the Hokage after all, and Obito had not been allowed to accompany him. 

_ Fair enough.  _ Technically, he wasn't sure whether he qualified as a  _ rogue ninja _ or a  _ missing nin. _ Bringing him before the Hokage could cause them a lot of unnecessary problems… especially if Anbu had decided to step in. 

Now he was bored. People-watching had been something he enjoyed, and he had been having fun toying with Kakashi. Shisui was obviously smitten, and the older Uchiha could hardly keep his mouth shut when Shisui flashed into the front room with a red face, and a flustered Kakashi followed shortly after. Tenzo had noticed too, watching both of them with those giant brown eyes of his. Speaking of Tenzo, he hadn't been allowed to go either. Obito wasn't quite clear on whether that was to keep him company, keep him in check, to protect him, or because Kakashi didn't think Tenzo would be able to fight Danzo if it came down to it. 

Regardless of the motivation, Obito was thankful for the company. Tenzo was walking around the room, feeding his chakra into the walls to fix the tiny cracks in the wood. Even though the younger boy rarely talked, he could tell that the brunet was very observant. 

Observant enough to know that Obito was watching him, apparently. Tenzo stopped what he was doing, turning towards the Uchiha and simply staring. It was awkward, but the kid was relentless. 

"Yes?" Obito finally asked. He didn't know how much of the future Tenzo was aware of. If he knew that Obito had captured, tortured, and used him… things might not go so smoothly. 

"You're staring at me." Tenzo answered, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"I am, yes." Obito answered with a smirk. Tenzo tilted his head. "Is it  _ me _ , or is it my  _ jutsu  _ that you are watching?" 

Obito huffed a laugh. He wasn't used to dealing with people without the mask on, and he felt a bit out of his element. "Which would you prefer?" 

Tenzo narrowed his eyes. "I think I've been used  _ enough  _ for my jutsu." 

_ Ah.  _ So he  _ did  _ know. Though he didn't seem aware that Obito was capable of using the wood style himself. Their styles, however, were very different. Obito had only used it thus far in fits of rage, summoning wooden spikes to defeat everyone around him. 

Thanks to Kakashi's memories, he had a good idea of Tenzo's usage of his gift. Tenzo  _ created.  _ He made trees, and flowers, and houses. Even when he used it for self-defense, or offense… he wasn't simply using it to  _ destroy.  _

There was a softness there… deep in those brown eyes. Obito could still see it even as the younger man glared at him. It was an inherent  _ goodness  _ that called out to him, and tried pulling him in. He wanted to know  _ everything  _ about Tenzo. 

Obito held his hand out, palm up, and formed a small wooden spike. Tenzo watched cautiously, his face remaining unchanged aside from his eyes. Those eyes showed  _ everything.  _ Obito could tell that it had been the  _ last  _ thing Tenzo was expecting. But there was something else there. Tenzo wasn't upset that someone else shared the same gift that he had been given. He was  _ thrilled.  _

"You… you have the mokuton?" Tenzo asked, his brows furrowed in confusion, but his eyes lit up in excitement. 

Obito looked down to his palm, the gangly spike looking more ominous than anything he had seen Tenzo create in Kakashi's memories. He wasn't able to keep looking at that wondrous gaze. Tenzo didn't know the horrible things he had planned to do with this gift. "Madara implanted Hashirama's cells into my body to save my life." Obito commented absently. 

"You don't like it? Your jutsu?" Tenzo spoke softly, his eyes fixated on Obito's. 

Obito looked at him in dismay. He had never once thought about his feelings towards the jutsu itself. 

_ Did he  _ **_hate_ ** _ the mokuton? _

No. He simply hated  _ his  _ version. Tenzo's was beautiful. It was something to admire and love. He shook his head. "I… I don't know. My mokuton is  _ different  _ than yours. I think maybe I just dislike  _ my  _ version." He answered quietly. 

Tenzo tilted his head again. "Can you show me?" 

Obito's eye widened. He didn't have a lot of control over his wood style, and he wasn't sure what would happen if he tried to use it. Plus, there was another part of him that was nervous as hell to have Tenzo examining his usage of the jutsu. There was something about the other boy that made him excessively flustered. "I… I suppose." 

Thankfully, Tenzo didn't mention his sputtering. He smiled softly, a knowing glint in those eyes, and turned away. Obito followed him outside, watching the younger boy curiously. 

Even after knowing what Obito was going to do… the boy was being kind to him. 

_ Why? Why would he do something like that? _

Obito theorized in his head. There was really nothing to be gained from Tenzo being nice to him. Obito had already agreed to forgo his plans and come back to Konoha. Perhaps it was because of his connection with his  _ precious senpai? _ Or maybe it was simply because they were the only two people alive that could use the First Hokage's jutsu?

Tenzo turned towards him and waited expectantly.  _ Right. He was supposed to show him his mokuton.  _

Obito formed the only signs he knew, calling forth several large spikes from the ground. Even the sun shining on them couldn't make them beautiful. 

Tenzo pursed his lips, as if contemplating what to say next. "Can you… grow a tree?" 

Obito frowned. Honestly, he had never tried. He had no use for something like that. "I… can try?" 

Tenzo nodded, and Obito took a deep breath. He was an Uchiha. He could do this. A simple tree couldn't be so bad, right? Obito formed the basic wood style hand signs, pressing his hands to the ground and filtering his chakra into the soil. 

Well… it certainly could have gone  _ worse _ . Obito  _ did  _ grow a tree… but it was hollow, rotten from the inside out, and there were no leaves or signs of life on it. His heart sank a bit. He could only imagine what Tenzo thought about the pathetic display. 

A hand touched his shoulder, and he startled a bit. Tenzo had snuck up on him. "Can I show you how?" The brunet asked, tilting his head in the way Obito was quickly growing fond of. It's as if he had spent too much time around Kakashi or something. Obito could vaguely remember that being a weird quirk of his younger teammate's… something to do with him growing up with his ninken. 

"Uh… sure." He answered quietly. 

Tenzo nodded. "Form the signs, and then I'll use my chakra to direct yours." 

Obito hesitated, but did as he was told. When he placed his hands to the ground, Tenzo was there, his warm hands filtering chakra into Obito's wrists. 

It… was  _ different.  _ When Obito sent his own chakra out, it went straight through his palm, and felt cold to the core. Tenzo sent the chakra through his fingertips and palms at the same time. And… it felt  _ warm _ . As if Tenzo was sending his very soul through Obito's skin. 

What was it? Why did his chakra feel so different? Obito's sharingan was active, but he couldn't see the difference. Perhaps if he had a byakugan. 

"There. See?" Tenzo nearly whispered. Obito looked up to see a large maple tree. It wasn't the gangly, wicked creation that Obito had crafted before. It was  _ alive.  _

Obito stared owlishly.  _ How? _ Was he supposed to be able to do that without the warm comfort of Tenzo's chakra? 

The Uchiha hadn't been this out-of-sorts since he first woke up in Madara's cave. He was  _ confident _ . He was a  _ killer.  _

Obito didn't look back at the younger man. He formed the signs one last time. Maybe… maybe if he focused on pleasant thoughts, he could create what Tenzo had. Maybe his chakra would be happy and wonderful like  _ his _ . 

Chakra filtered through his hands, pouring out as Obito focused on that warm feeling that Tenzo's touch had left behind. Next to the maple tree, a twig sprouted from the earth, growing and twisting. Branches broke off, splitting again and forming leaves. The tree was smaller than the one they had created together, but it was still very much a living organism. 

His jaw dropped, and he turned to look at Tenzo. The boy was smiling at him, looking over him proudly. 

Obito hadn't been looked at like that since Minato-sensei. Tenzo nodded happily, and his approval… it suddenly meant  _ everything.  _

"Come on." Tenzo spoke loudly. "Let's grow some other things, too." 

Obito followed him enthusiastically to a new patch of land.

~

When Kakashi and the crew returned to the house, he wasn't sure what to expect. He had regretted leaving Tenzo behind, but he wasn't sure how the Hokage would feel about the information, or if Obito should be left alone. He knew Tenzo would be able to sense any foundation members lurking. He just hoped that the two would get along okay. 

What he  _ hadn't  _ expected, was to walk out and find that the backyard had turned into a  _ forest _ . Or that he would find Tenzo and Obito growing  _ Tulips  _ together. The Obito that was smiling in the grass with his kohai… it wasn't the one that had threatened the foundation members earlier.  _ This  _ was the Obito from his past. 

Both of his friends looked up, meeting his mismatched gaze. "Welcome back…  _ Bakashi _ ." Obito said with a smug grin. 

"Senpai." Tenzo greeted politely. "I promise we will turn your backyard back to its previous condition." 

Kakashi scanned the area. There were new plants and trees  _ everywhere _ . Was Tenzo showing Obito how to properly use the mokuton? His eyes caught on the black tree towards the back door.  _ That one  _ looked like the things that Obito had created during the fourth shinobi war. 

"Tenzo. You've been teaching him?" He asked incredulously. Tenzo's forgiveness knew no bounds, and the delighted smile on Obito's face warmed Kakashi's heart. He had never expected to see Obito like that ever again. Who would have guessed that it would be  _ Tenzo _ that brought him back to his true self. 

Tenzo nodded sheepishly, and Kakashi smiled at him. "Thank you." 

His kohai beamed back at him, and it was only then that he remembered the  _ other  _ Uchihas that were standing nearby.  _ Why did they have to be so quiet? _

Naturally, Shisui had that amused look on his face that Kakashi was starting to think was his natural resting face. Itachi didn't seem to care about any of this. 

"What did Sarutobi have to say?" Obito asked, seemingly refusing to address the Hokage properly. Kakashi spun back around. 

"He… he is going to be here in a few minutes." Kakashi answered. Their visit with the elderly man was, by all accounts,  _ strange.  _ He didn't seem all that  _ surprised _ , but he took the situation seriously. "He wants to see you in person."

Obito's eye narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

Kakashi couldn't blame him for his concern. His track record with older men had not been favorable so far, and there was nothing in Kakashi's memories that would support the Third Hokage being a compassionate person. Not really. "He just wants to see for himself that you mean Konoha no harm." 

Obito huffed, crossing his arms defensively. Tenzo bumped their shoulders together, a weird situation with Tenzo involved. Kakashi had never seen him act so friendly with someone other than himself. Obito shot him a look, but seemed to calm down a bit.  _ Odd _ . 

It seemed like the two had really bonded over their mutual jutsu. 

"We should head to the front of the house." Itachi spoke softly. Shisui was smiling like an idiot, watching Tenzo and Obito attentively. Kakashi nodded his agreement, herding the group into the house. Shisui was walking at his side, and Kakashi was fixated on the hand that was brushing against his. He made no moves to back away, half-tempted to just reach out and interlock their fingers. 

Kakashi decided against it. They needed to focus on the task at hand before worrying about any relationships. He made himself comfortable on the couch, not in the least bit surprised when Shisui plopped down next to him. 

He ignored Obito's snickering, trying his best not to give in and lean up against the younger man. 

The swift knocking on the door saved him, and he was across the room in an instant. Obito was on the second couch with Tenzo, and Itachi had squeezed onto Shisui's other side. Hiruzen was waiting patiently when he opened the door, stepping aside to invite him in immediately. 

Everyone stood up to greet him properly, even Obito, who captured the elderly man's attention immediately. Kakashi could feel his Anbu guard somewhere in the house, and hoped that Hiruzen was sincere when he said he was willing to forgive. After all, it wasn't really Obito's fault. He had been manipulated under genjutsu, and forced to do terrible things. He should be allowed to gain forgiveness. 

"Obito Uchiha." Hiruzen spoke strongly, motioning for him to step forward. Obito complied, his sharingan deactivated and his features softened. 

One of the Hokage's Anbu flashed into the room behind him, causing a brief flicker of panic in Obito's eye. Shisui and Tenzo were by his side in an instant, but the Hokage simply held up his hand to halt them. 

"Report." 

Kakashi recognized the Anbu. It was Ko. Undoubtedly using his byakugan to scan the building and possibly Obito's chakra. He made sure his stance remained relaxed, hoping that the other three would pick up on it and relax as well. 

"Property is clear. And no signs of current genjutsu." Ko reported quickly. Hiruzen nodded, and the older man disappeared just as quickly as he had shown up. 

Shisui bowed immediately. "My apologies, Lord Hiruzen. I suppose I am overly paranoid at the moment." 

Hiruzen chuckled, a weird reaction given the current situation. "Shisui… a respected elder was going to betray you last night. I wouldn't expect any less of you." 

Shisui nodded, stepping back to stand by Itachi once again. Tenzo remained at Obito's side, a move that didn't go unnoticed by the Hokage. 

"Now. As for you, Obito, I realize that quite a lot has happened to you since Kannabi Bridge." Hiruzen spoke softly. Obito nodded, still unsure about the whole situation. "I am willing to give you a full pardon, on the condition that you assist in the arrest of Danzo, and remain a citizen of Konoha afterwards." 

The Uchiha's black eye widened. "That's it? That's all I have to do?" 

"Well… I suppose there is  _ one  _ more thing." Hiruzen replied, and Obito stiffened immediately. 

"What is it, Sir?" 

"I need you to help quell the rebellion. Perhaps with the return of a lost family member, one that has assisted in the arrest of the man responsible for their seclusion and distrust, will help the village and the Uchiha coexist once again." Hiruzen replied. 

Kakashi hadn't even thought about the effects that Obito's return would have on the rebellion. 

Obito looked just as stunned by the revelation. "Yes, Sir." He replied with a nod. 

"Alright then." Hiruzen spoke with a soft smile. "This is the plan."

~

Obito watched over the main compound of the foundation, half merged into the ceiling as the Hokage and his Anbu walked into the building. Danzo,  _ smug bastard _ that he was, watched them approach easily. Even with Shisui at Hiruzen's side, Danzo thought he could talk his way out of this. 

Obito scowled.  _ Of course he thought that.  _ Why wouldn't he? Hiruzen had let him get away with plenty already. If this had happened  _ without  _ future-Kakashi being involved… it probably would have gone the way Danzo wanted. 

As it was, Kakashi, Tenzo, and Itachi stood behind their Hokage, clad in their full uniform. Obito couldn't help but let his eyes wash over Tenzo. He was young. Younger than Obito. But in that uniform? He simply looked  _ deadly _ . 

_ Drop dead sexy, too.  _ Obito's brain supplied. He fought back a growl. He had one mission, and one mission only. He was to watch for the Izanagi. If Danzo activated his Izanagi, Obito could be there in an instant to stop him. If necessary, he would send the man into kamui. Not his preferred method, since he had Black Zetsu stuck to a rock in his secret dimension… but it could be done. He was  _ not  _ supposed to be ogling Kakashi's young friend.

The Hokage didn't appear to be making much headway with the conversation, and being confronted with every bad deed he had done was only making Danzo very angry. 

The fight started quickly. It was interesting to watch his cousins and friends take on the foundation. Even at 18, Shisui was incredible. And Itachi?  _ Amazing.  _ Even still, his eyes were drawn to the way Tenzo used the wood style. It was an art form. One that he hoped Tenzo would continue teaching him. 

He hadn't felt admiration like this since he and Kakashi were mere children. 

Obito forced himself to focus. Danzo was fighting with the Hokage. If he was going to use Izanagi, he would likely wait until an Uchiha was nearby. Shisui and Itachi were well aware of this, and were both fighting on the outside edge of the group. Semi-secluded and perfect for an ambush. As far as Danzo knew… no one was aware of the sharingan he had stolen. In fact, they  _ still  _ didn't know where he had gotten the damn thing. The only thing they were sure of was that he didn't have the arm yet. He could only use Izanagi once for now, and Obito would do his damn best to stop it. 

_ There.  _ Hiruzen stabbed Danzo in the chest. It was a killing blow… or close enough to force Danzo's hand. Obito could sense the flicker of chakra, and descended from the ceiling to move towards Shisui. 

The younger Uchiha may have been aware of the jutsu beforehand, but it was still too fast for Shisui to react when he was in the process of fighting talented members of Root. Danzo had a hold of his hair before he had a moment to blink.

_ But it didn't matter.  _

_ Obito had been watching.  _

The older Uchiha was there in an instant, almost as fast as Danzo was, swinging his borrowed sword and cutting Danzo's arm off from the elbow down. 

Danzo cried out, pulling his arm to his chest as Shisui finished off his attacker and spun around. All of the foundation members were stunned, and Danzo was glaring a hole through Obito's face. "Who  _ are  _ you?" The older man growled, backing himself away to the safety of his own Anbu. 

Obito stepped forward, wiping a small bit of blood from his face. "I'm Obito Uchiha. You will not harm my clan ever again." 

"Obito? But you're supposed to be  _ dead! _ " Danzo shouted, backing up more as Hiruzen descended upon him. 

"Danzo! Give it up! We already knew about your plan to use the Izanagi! We know  _ everything! _ " Hiruzen shouted, continuing to move closer. 

Danzo looked lost. He had clearly thought out every possible outcome here… but nobody could have predicted  _ Kakashi _ . Obito looked at his old teammate, standing strong next to Tenzo. He really  _ was  _ a different person than 19 year old Kakashi had been originally. 

Once his crew had been mostly taken out, and Danzo was backed into a corner, the man surrendered pitifully. The whole ordeal had hardly lasted an hour, and Obito hadn't even gotten to use any of his jutsu. 

~

Everything was going smoothly.  _ Too  _ smoothly. Dealing with Obito?  _ Easy _ . Madara?  _ Even easier _ . And Danzo?  _ Piece of cake _ . 

Kakashi couldn't shake the thought that this just  _ wasn't right.  _ Nothing in this world had ever gone the way he wanted… yet here he was, watching Hiruzen publicly announce Danzo's capture, and apologize to the entire Uchiha clan for their mistreatment thanks to Danzo's orders. 

Even  _ that  _ went smoothly. The look on Fugaku's face was almost comical when Obito walked out of the shadows to stand next to the Hokage. Obito's experience was simplified for the village. There was no mention of him being the cause of Minato's demise, nor anything he had planned to do in the future. Hiruzen simply said that Madara Uchiha had been alive, and used Obito to do his bidding with genjutsu and Hashirama's cells. 

The return of Obito had definitely softened the Uchiha a bit more. Knowing that the madman they were following had kidnapped and used one of their own children certainly pushed them away from Madara's ideals. 

The only thing left to do was deal with Orochimaru. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya had been summoned, and plans were in the works. They knew the snake Sannin was currently building a hidden village in the Land of Rice Paddies, and they had a little time before needing to deal with him. 

Kakashi sighed, uncomfortable in a large crowd even after his time being Hokage. All of this… was a bit much to take in. He had stopped the fourth ninja war… along with many other important things. Now, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't exactly go back to the future now. 

_ Besides… would he really want to? _

He could still be the jounin sensei for team seven when the time came. In fact, he was making plans to help a certain chunin sensei get the idea to adopt Naruto. Sasuke would be better than fine now. He had Itachi. In fact, they were standing a few rows ahead of him, Sasuke sitting comfortably on Itachi's shoulders. He  _ also  _ was making plans to get Sai placed into someone's care, along with his sick older brother.

Everything would be a million times better than the first time around. Kakashi would make sure of it. Still, the crowd was getting to him a bit. 

As if reading his mind, Shisui popped up next to him effortlessly. "Hey, Kakashi." The Uchiha said with a bright smile. It was hard to believe that Shisui's smile could get even bigger. With the weight of the rebellion off of his and Itachi's shoulders… the difference was insane. "Want to get some fresh air?" 

Kakashi nodded, feeling Shisui's fingers grab his own, and then the world was a blur for a moment. Shisui had taken them all the way back to the Naka river. 

Even Shisui, arguably the fastest shinobi in existence at the moment, didn't have time to react before Kakashi was ripping his mask off. He pressed his lips against Shisui's, pulling the man into his body. Shisui laughed into the kiss, reaching his hands around Kakashi's back to hold him tight. It was wonderful. Warmth and comfort were the only things he could feel at the moment, and he couldn't be happier. 

_ Yes… being stuck in the past wasn't so bad.  _

~

Obito wandered through the Uchiha district. He had been back for a little over a week, and already the difference was astonishing. Everyone was friendly again, waving and greeting him excitedly. It was nice. He once again felt like he was  _ home.  _

_ Perhaps _ … part of that was the nearly silent companion that was walking with him today. Tenzo was more than welcome here in the Uchiha district, especially after his cousins had raved about the man's aid in Shisui's plight. Honestly, not a lot had been shared with the entire clan, but Fugaku knew more than most. He had even been allowed to see bits of the future that had been averted. 

In either case, the district was much more welcoming than it had been recently. Obito looked to his right, knowing Tenzo would be there. He always walked on the right, refusing on numerous occasions to walk on Obito's blind side. It was sweet, in a way. Obito smiled at the younger boy, and received an easy smile in return. He held up his palm, focusing his chakra the way Tenzo had taught him, and grew a white daisy. The brunet watched proudly, not even flinching when Obito broke off the stem and buried the flower in Tenzo's hair behind his ear. 

Shop owners were cooing at them, but Obito paid them no mind. The only thing that mattered to him was that soft smile he received and the light pink blush that dusted Tenzo's cheeks. Never in a million years did he ever think that someone would be able to capture his heart again. But… Tenzo was a force to be reckoned with. That wonderful pleasant feeling had been growing in his chest since he had met the younger man… Obito was no fool. He knew what those feelings meant. Thankfully, this time his feelings were returned. Tenzo grew a flower of his own, a wonderful little blue one that he had never seen before, and placed it in Obito's hair in a similar fashion. 

_ How long had it been since he had blushed?  _ Quite some time. Obito took Tenzo's hand, interlacing their fingers as they walked peacefully through the streets. 

There was plenty of  _ good  _ left in this world, and Obito felt confirmation of that every time Tenzo squeezed his fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments make my day! 
> 
> If there is enough interest, I am considering coming back to write a sequel with fluff and smut for this fic once the event is long over!


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